Spurs on the cusp of road greatness

With six road games remaining and an NBA-best 27-8 record away from the AT&T Center, the Spurs are on the verge of joining the ranks of the best visiting teams in league history.

Not that it will be easy. With a rest-depleted roster possible — probable? — for Friday’s game at Denver, the Spurs will finish up their road slate at Indiana (Monday, 33-4 at home), Oklahoma City (Thursday, 29-7), Dallas (April 10, 24-12) and Houston (April 14, 28-7).

Win just two of those and they’ll tie the franchise record, set in 1994-95 and tied in 2005-06, while attaining a total only 19 other teams have ever reached with 29 road victories. (See below. Note: The NBA didn’t go to the current 82-game schedule until 1967-68.)

The results of those 19 teams are a mixed bag.

Ten won championships, including some of the more celebrated teams in history: the 1995-96 Bulls, who hold the record with 33 road victories; the 1971-72 Lakers (31) and the “Fo-Fi-Fo” Sixers (30) in 1982-83.

But there’s also a slew of disappointments. The Celtics won 32 road games in both 1972-73 and 1974-75 and were upset in the Eastern Conference finals both times. The 2006-07 Mavericks (31) were perhaps the biggest failures of all, going 0-3 on the road en route to a first-round loss to Golden State.

As for their own history, the Spurs went empty-handed both times they’re on the list.

But while it has no predictive value, such a healthy road record would surely be a formidable combination with homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs, the race for which the Spurs (55-16 overall) currently lead by three games.

In the end, given their collective experience and consistency, it doesn’t seem to matter all that much where the Spurs play outside of their road offense.